12 February 2011

President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil launching a Khadi stamp on Mahatma Gandhi at the World Philatelic Exhibition, in New Delhi on February 12, 2011. Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal, and Ministers of State Sachin Pilot and Gurudas Kamat are also seen.

President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil inaugurated the World Philatelic Exhibition, INDIPEX 2011, here today by releasing a special limited edition Khadi stamp on Mahatma Gandhi.

"Stamps are usually printed on paper. For the first time in history, a special Khadi stamp is being issued which is on Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence," she said.

Ms Patil noted that there had been a decline in letters by post. "While technological advancements may have provided many faster modes of communication, the intimacy of the letter and the legend of the stamp cannot be matched," she said.

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal said that India Post is also celebrating the centenary of the world’s first official airmail flight.

On 18th February 1911, a French pilot, Henri Pequet flew a small Sommer biplane carrying 6,500 letters from Allahabad to Naini. The journey was brief and lasted just thirteen minutes. To commemorate the occasion a set of stamps on aero philately is being issued at Allahabad today. The historic flight is also being re-enacted, courtesy Indian Air Force, he added.

Referring to "My Stamp", the exciting offer at INDIPEX 2011, he said this customized and personalized stamp is being introduced by India Post for the first time. One can have photographs of oneself on a stamp sheet which can be used to send out greetings or preserved as a unique philatelic memento.

The Minister said that, to commemorate INDIPEX 2011, India Post had brought out two sets of stamps in 2010, one on Heritage Post Offices and one on old pre- Independence era stamps of Indian States. A set of six stamps on six legendary actresses of Indian cinema will also be issued during this exhibition.

Later, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology Gurudas Kamat presented a gold plated ingot with various stamps embossed on it to the President. The other Minister of State Sachin Pilot presented the first sheet of "My Stamp" to the President.

The aim of the exhibition is to promote philately and provide a forum for interaction between philatelic stakeholders such as collectors, dealers, stamp designers and printers and postal administrations. The exhibition will showcase some of the best collections of stamps, stationery and philatelic literature from all over the world in different categories. There are 595 collectors from 70 countries who will be participating in the exhibition, apart from 28 philatelic dealers and 31 postal administrations.

Among the rare stamps on display is the most expensive Indian stamp, the "Inverted Head Four Annas" issued in 1854.

INDIPEX 2011 has been organized by India Post at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 12 to 18 February after a gap of thirteen years. It is being organized in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India under the auspices of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie and the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately. This is the sixth time that such an exhibition is being held in India. India first held such an exhibition in 1954 and the last one was in 1997.

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil releasing the Khadi Stamp at the inauguration of World Philatelic Exhibition, INDIPEX 2011 in New Delhi on February 12, 2011. Also seen are the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, the Minister of States for Communications and Information Technology, Shri Gurudas Kamat and Shri Sachin Pilot.

Khadi stamp on Mahatma Gandhi huge crowdpuller at postal expo

New Delhi: A special postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi created from khadi turned out to be the most sought-after at the World Philatelic Exhibition that began here today.

The stamp, a collector's delight priced at Rs 250 for a premium limited edition in a miniature sheet format, was a coveted item for enthusiasts who queued up to buy it at the India Post counter at Pragati Maidan the venue of Indipex 2011, that was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil.

"India has never issued any stamp on any material other than on paper. In other countries, materials like silk, gold and diamonds have been used to make stamps. We thought to experiment with khadi and Gandhiji was a natural choice since he advocated the use of handspun khadi," said Harpreet Singh, Director, Indipex.

"We knew the stamp would generate a good response but this is overwhelming," he said when there was a brief stoppage around noon in the sale of stamps at the venue due to lack of stock. However, the sale resumed after fresh stock was brought half an hour later.

Umesh Karkari, a philatelist at the venue said, "This is a very rare stamp and I was the first to obtain a copy. Gandhi theme is the most popular for stamp collectors and I am proud to own this khadi stamp."

The stamp made out of khadi is also being sold online at the Indipex 2011 website where an individual can order upto a maximum of 10 stamps.

There was a long queue even for the online bookings during the first day of the exhibition.

An India Post official said, "We had printed one lakh special khadi stamps especially for Indipex 2011 and we think we might have to order some more units going by the huge demand."

One of the other events at the exhibition which drew crowds, especially children, was the "My Stamp" section. The initiative introduced by India Post for the first time offered visitors a chance to customise and personalise a stamp with their own photographs.

On Sunday, February 13, a set of stamps on six legendary actresses of Indian cinema, namely, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Kanan Devi, Devika Rani, Leela Naidu and Savitri will be released.

A total of 595 collectors from 70 countries are participating in the exhibition organised in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India under the auspices of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie and the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately.

The stamp design marking the centenary shows books with a portrait of Sándor Püski on their spines. The cover of one of the books features the emblem of the Püski Publishing House and is in-scribed “Sándor Püski was born 100 years ago”. On the first day cover there is likewise a row of books, which bears the inscription “Sándor Püski 1911-2009”. The graphic design of the special postmark employs a stylised drawing of the em-blem of the Püski Publishing House.

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